First up in the series is the matron of the group, Sylvia. Despite her age and wisdom, she seems to garner no respect from the young males within the house. She is frequently found (if she can be found) hiding on or underneath chairs because all of the others seem to pick on her. If she naps out in the open, it leaves her vulnerable to attack from any angle. What she lacks in general size, she makes up for in quickness. This is possibly the only reason she has survived within the Manor. When I say that she is small - this is not an exaggeration. After carrying around another of the Florance Manor denizens, I once attempted to scoop up Sylvia, but instead nearly tossed her across the room.
To truly understand Sylvia, you must first know her background. The story of Sylvia is quite a complicated tale and I will do my best to explain it. Sylvia was born of noble birth - the daughter of a duke. When she came of age, her father had promised her to a suitor. Not long after this, two travelers from another neighborhood in southern KC both end up falling in love with the young Sylvia. One of these new suitors, Proty (whom had already promised his undying affection for another in his own neighborhood), unknowingly has his disguised lover, Julia, pretending to be a male servant in his entourage after discovering his betrayal. Sylvia's affections, however, lie with the other traveling suitor, Val. Proty became jealous of his friend and convinced the Duke to have Val banished from Florance Manor, leaving Sylvia for himself. Julia discovers that Sylvia does not return Proty's affections and the two wind up sympathizing with each other's situation. The story concludes with quite intensity in the forest outside of Florance Manor. Proty nearly attacks Sylvia, but Val, who after his banishment has become king of a group of outlaws wandering the forest, swoops in to save his precious Sylvia. The confrontation between the two friends ends when Val, for the sake of their friendship, relinquishes Sylvia to Proty. Out of shock, the disguised Julia faints and accidentally reveals her identity. Proty, upon realizing this suddenly remembers his affection for Julia, paving the way for Sylvia and Val to be together. Everyone ended up living happily ever after and Sylvia later had scores of offspring, all of which dwarf her size. And thus is the story of Sylvia.
1 comment:
Very clever. You remembered that Sylvia is named for Shakespeare's "Two Gentlemen of Verona." One correction: she did not have "scores" of offspring. The day before her vet appointment to get snipped, she fled and did not return for almost a month, during which time I thought she was dead and cried daily. When she did return, it was in shame as she was carrying five offspring. After that, she did get fixed and (sadly or fortunately) no more kittens for Sylvia.
You left out the part about her perfume line.
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